Monsanto, the US biotech corporation, has indicated that it is considering a major climbdown over genetically modified food in Britain. It has offered to use its vast gene databases to help plant breeders create new varieties of crops using traditional cross-breeding techniques.

All-out war was declared in Britain's high streets yesterday when Asda slashed the prices of hundreds of products to US levels - prompting Tesco to hit back with promises of huge discounts. The hostilities, which follow calls by Tony Blair to end what has been dubbed 'rip-off Britain', erupted when Asda pledged to cut prices in line with those of its US owner, Wal-Mart.

News p6

An IRA informer shot in a revenge attack by terrorists is planning to sue British police for allegedly failing to give him enough protection. Martin McGartland, who was hit five times in the attack earlier this year, claims Northumbria police told him the level of threat was 'low' and refused to give him a gun.

When Joanne Gordon finally trod the soil of Mother Africa for the first time this month, she felt that she had finally gone back to her roots. A black hospital worker born in inner London, she had longed to wander the continent of her forefathers and learn about how they were taken from their homeland and sold into slavery.

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The adverts seem innocuous. They merely offer 'greater freedom from bladder problems'; suggest individuals should talk to their doctors about treatments; and reveal the sponsor of this health education campaign is the drug giant Pharmacia and Upjohn.

Forget battling through busy British high streets. Designer clothes, cosmetics and stylish household accessories cost so much less in Italy that you can fly to Europe's fashion capital, Milan, to stock up on winter wear and Christmas presents - and still save money.

News p10

From a distance the headquarters of the Countryside Alliance in Kennington Road resembles a grand South London town house. Formerly Kennington Town Hall, the building boasts a Georgian portico replete with stucco white pillars and wood-panelled meeting rooms.

The Chinese will not be amused. Acupuncture, the ancient art of sticking pins into the body to alleviate illness and addiction, was practised by Stone Age man in Europe centuries before it was used in the East and at least 2,000 years before the first writings about the skill were found in China.

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